The FBI is using artificial intelligence in what it describes as \u201cremote access operations,\u201d FBI parlance for hacking, according to an FBI official.The comments, given at a national security and AI conference 404 Media was attending, give an unusually candid admission of the FBI\u2019s use of hacking tools, which are often shrouded in secrecy.\u201cMy team, one of the parts of our capabilities mission is our computer network operations program, where we’re doing on-network or remote access operations,\u201d Todd Hemmen, the deputy assistant director of the FBI\u2019s Cyber Division, said on Tuesday. Remote access operations is a turn of phrase for when the FBI remotely enters a computer network; in other words, when the agency hacks into a target.\ud83d\udca1Do you know anything else about FBI or other agencies’ hacking tools? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404 or send me an email at joseph@404media.co.Specifically for those sorts of operations \u201cAI has tremendous benefits, not entirely different than the benefits that are being enjoyed by some of our adversarial nationstate actors,\u201d he continued. He pointed to \u201cthe speed at which we are able to conduct\u2014autonomous isn’t the right word\u2014but AI enabled attacks.\u201dHemmen was speaking on a panel about how criminals and nationstates are using AI to power scams and fraud. When 404 Media asked a follow-up question for more details on how the FBI is using AI for its remote access operations, Hemmen said he wouldn\u2019t give any case specific examples, but spoke more broadly about the benefits.<\/p>\n
He pointed to reconnaissance, when a hacker scopes out a target network to in turn find potential ways to break into it. \u201cYou have very large attack surfaces; AI can scan those surfaces very, very efficiently. So it’s that initial scanning in terms of where are the vulnerabilities, how can I exploit and gain access,\u201d he said. He added AI then can be used for moving laterally through the network, which is when a hacker moves from one position to another to access more data or capabilities. While a threat actor\u2014a cybercriminal or an adversary nationstate\u2014may then steal data, \u201cwe have a different mission obviously, but I see AI as having applicability across, again, every single tactic that would be relevant to those on-network operations, So it’s a game changer in that sense.\u201dIn his role, Hemmen oversees the division\u2019s technical tools. The FBI did not respond to a request for additional comment.Relatively little is known about what hacking tools the FBI deploys, what sort of cases it decides to deploy them in, and for what exact purpose. Over the years journalists have pieced together parts, though. Previously, the FBI used a \u201cnon-public\u201d vulnerability to hack suspected visitors of a dark web child abuse site. The FBI\u2019s Remote Operations Unit (ROU) used classified hacking tools\u2014which are typically reserved for intelligence gathering operations\u2014in ordinary criminal investigations, potentially complicating criminal defendants\u2019 opportunity to scrutinize the evidence collected against them. The FBI has also used hacking tools, euphemistically called network investigative techniques, to investigate bomb threats and the users of a privacy-focused email service. The FBI also purchased hacking tools from the notorious spyware vendor NSO Group and explored using them against phones in the U.S., The New York Times previously reported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"